The Rising Tide Award
One of core beliefs of The Photo Managers community is “a rising tide lifts all boats.” This guiding principle means that the great work that our members do has a positive impact on The Photo Managers community and the photo organizing industry as a whole. We would not be the thriving community we are today without the dedication and support of our members.
We have created the Rising Tide Award to honor each year three of The Photo Managers members who’ve shared their expertise, innovated, taken risks, and moved the needle for our community. They embody the guiding principles of The Photo Managers.
• We are collaborative rather than competitive.
• We take pride in adhering to a strong code of ethics and industry standards.
• We believe in exceeding expectations.
• We share generously of our knowledge and experiences for the benefit of the community.
• We recognize this is a growing and changing industry and we share new ideas with an abundance mentality.
The winners below have been nominated by their peers as individuals who support The Photo Managers community through sharing their knowledge and expertise; shared new ideas (products, workflows, client management) related to photo organizing with an abundance mentality; and exceeded expectations with a client or within the The Photo Managers community.
Allison Freedman
“Allison is a very pro active colleague who starts discussions and is very generous in sharing her knowledge and experience on privacy and photo organizing issues. She is very accurate in answering questions in the Facebook group and is always supportive. And I love that she is not hesitant in asking ‘us’ too for advice. A great ‘team’ member, she is a binder.”
“Allison’s wealth of knowledge and the willingness to share all of it is a real comfort to a fairly new Photo Manager. She is usually one of the first to respond and answer questions in the forum. She has helped me several times and I read how she helps many others on the forum. With her sharing of knowledge she has saved me hours of searching for answers.”
“Allison is a powerhouse of a presence in the photo management community. She embodies the best of who we are and the values we promote. She volunteers for any new initiative and champions the solutions she supports with the authority of someone who’s crash tested and used them at length. When she finds flaws she is quick to voice them and, in doing so, challenges partners to do better. Most of all she is a voice of reason and powerful ambassador for good and forward-looking photo management policy. And she has a sense of humor. Allison richly deserves to receive The Rising Tide Award. She elevates the practice of Photo Management and the spirit of everyone she meets.”
Kimberly Melton
“Kimberly embodies the principle fully. She tries to help, cheer, motivate and support those around her and she does with such a sense of grace and humor. She is a leader and a pen lifter. When she speaks people listen and want to write it down. For me personally, Kimberly was one of the first people I met at my first conference in Atlanta. She and I still meet on a monthly basis to talk business and life. If she finds a workflow or a product that may help someone, she shares her findings. She wholeheartedly wants everyone to succeed.”
“Kim is a person who is always willing to help others, consistently displaying a positive attitude and warmth. She actively contributes to TPM in achieving better outcomes and demonstrates a genuine interest in developing the organization and helping its members.”
“Kimberly is as authentic as they come. She is always willing to help new members, share her knowledge, and push those to become better versions of themselves! I would never have raised my prices if it weren’t for her. She holds other accountable and celebrates when other succeed. She is a selfless giver and a smart business woman who wants to see every photo manager do well!”
Teri Winfield
“Teri is extraordinary! She’s always online to welcome newbies. She is generous and supportive to other members no matter what. I was thrilled to see her (along with Allison) as a member of the advisory board – I’m sure her ideas and input were actionable and excellent. A great example is her initiative to start a conversation on the FB thread supporting others in their quest to organize their own collection. As a fellow introvert, I understand her wanting to be behind-the-scenes and not draw attention to herself, but she still shines by her actions.”
“Teri’s years of experience in the industry and as a business owner means she can give practical and reliable advice. She’s always professional, generous, and winsome in sharing what she knows and helping others. She’s also the friendliest TPM member, always welcoming new members.”
“Teri’s on fire this year, but she’s also been a steady positive influence on the photo community ever since joining APPO in its inaugural year. Even before I joined (in 2015) she was doing things here in Albuquerque like coming to speak to my local professional organizing group and to our local genealogy societies.”
“Teri has been one of the hosts running our Regional meetings. She plans the agenda, and invited guest speakers to liven up our meetings and to help us all learn more to run our businesses. She’s been very helpful, supportive, and active on our FB page always welcoming people, ideas and freely sharing her knowledge along the way with others.”
Marci Brennan
“Marci continues to impress me with her strength and growth, how clearly and right to the point she consistently shares her knowledge and ideas without any unnecessary comments or fluff. To me, Marci exceeds expectations by always taking advantage of opportunities to talk about photo organizing within her community and always with such a clear perspective and goal.”
“I read and notice Marci’s post on the forum and can see how she is always looking forward and exploring new software, technology, but more importantly, new ideas and research that affects and can guide our industry and work. And she shares that information with others and engages them in discussions about these important subjects as well. Marci is very deserving of the Rising Tide award, as a leader in our industry and an example of great service to others.”
“I’m impressed with how Marci has grown her business and presence in the TPM community over the last two years. When I first met Marci she was struggling to land clients, but now she and Chris (her husband) are a powerhouse working on many large client projects. Out of that success I’ve seen Marci share more interesting stories and professional recommendations with the TPM community. I also appreciate that she shares generously from her stock photo background and from Chris’ video background.”
Paul Einarsen
“From the moment Paul joined TPM, he has been willing to share is knowledge with the community through forums, Facebook, at Conferences, and training courses. His deep knowledge of Apple products is a huge asset, and he has freely shared ideas, workflows, potential problems with the community as soon as he is aware of them. He does this from a position of caring about the community and wanting to educate us in the Apple environment, without any self promotion or using the community to further his business.”
“We are so lucky to have Paul as a member of our community! His knowledge of all things Apple/Mac has helped me out of many binds and has allowed me expand the services I offer my clients. I also appreciate how much he stays on top of new software developments and improvements and shares that information with us.”
“Paul is one of the most friendly and generous TPM members I can think of. His long experience in design, photography, and technology means he has a wealth of expertise to share with other members. He does this consistently with a calm and practical demeanor and with a big picture view of the future of photography.”
“Paul is thoughtful and generous with his Apple expertise. He’s patient and gentle with even the most basic questions and has helped countless members. He’s an inspiration!”
Kathy Stone
“Since being a part of The Photo Managers, Kathy Stone has always played a big role. She is always there to support the community and to recognize and cheer on fellow members. Kathy generously shares her knowledge and experience with whoever needs it and never asks for anything in return.”
“Kathy embodies the spirit of the Rising Tide Award. She offers her extensive knowledge of rescuing damaged and wet photos with a spirit of abundance. She happily welcomes new members and offers support with a great sense of humor and passion for the importance of the work photo managers offer clients – saving and sharing stories. She has been a member from the early years and continues to volunteer and participate in many activities.”
Peter Bennett
“Peter always gives in-depth instructions on how to tackle a project and is willing to offer follow-up.”
“He has been such a tremendous source of education for me and so many others.”
“This man is kind, soft-spoken, a gentle teacher, and has healthy boundaries to share his expertise. There are times I’ve decided to never post a question again online as a few are too quick to answer with their opinions, or “must do this way” mentality and I think it stops others from feeling safe enough to add their thoughts. Peter is not this energy.”
“I love Peter’s laid back California vibe and appreciate the wealth of experience in photography, teaching, and client management that be shares with the TPM community. His philosophy about photo curation has also inspired me in recent years to do better work.”
“Peter is a wonderful teacher, generous and kind in his advice and guidance (his many classes for TPM show this). He also shares his thoughts, frustrations and observations freely to our benefit. He’s inspired me personally in so many ways over the last 5 years. And I know he’s inspired others. It’s an honor and privilege to work with him.”
Cheryl DiFrank
“Cheryl is often among the first to respond to pleas for help on the Facebook group; offering specific, detailed, and helpful information, advice, and solutions to problems other photo managers face.”
“Cheryl is patient, thorough and generous with her advice and solutions to issues. I appreciate her takes on things like pricing, which helps newbies and not-so-newbies like myself, as well as her excellent and insightful tech advice on many complex issues.”
“The advice she gives are not “pat answers” but really thought out individualized answers. She is one of the most giving people online that isn’t looking for promotion or getting something from her support/mentorship. I adore and respect that. She is a true expert in my opinion and truly is what we promote and enjoy about belonging to TPM community.”
“I appreciate that Cheryl shares generously from her technical expertise and extensive experience in the stock photography industry. She always has a thoughtful answer that’s technically sound and reveals strong problem solving and troubleshooting skills.”
Adam Pratt
“Adam is so generous with his information, always encouraging people to give the best results to their clients. I am a better photo organizer because of the help he has given, to try to make our community better.”
“In the four years that I have been a member of the Photo Managers, Adam has consistently been helpful to newbies and seasoned pros, alway generous with his advice.”
“I know that if I pose a question that Adam has knowledge on he will respond and he has no trouble taking the time with you. I cannot say enough about what I think he brings to this team, he most definitely deserves this honor.”
“Adam sets the bar for providing support and freely sharing his abundant knowledge and experience with all things photo management! He is often found sharing new information and his own test results to back up what he’s sharing.”